Status of Johnson, Cowart unknown

Even though Ethan Johnson sprained his ankle in the first quarter against Purdue and did not return, Kelly said Sunday there's a chance his senior defensive end could play against Air Force.

"We'll immobilize him for the next few days and then get him moving and see," Kelly said. "It's one of those things where it's such an individual case by case situation when it comes to ankles, so he'll be immobilized. Last night he was in a boot. He'll stay in that until probably [until] midweek, and then we'll start moving him and see what he looks like."Freshman Aaron Lynch played

Freshman Aaron Lynch logged significant playing time against the Boilermakers and finished with three tackles and a sack. Lynch would likely see more playing time if Johnson doesn't recover.

"We know about his ability to rush the passer," Kelly said of Lynch. "That's pretty clear. There are some things that we need to continue to work on with him as it relates to gap responsibility and playing the defense."

Longsnapper Jordan Cowart broke his hand in a scuffle with a Purdue playe late in the first half. The junior was flagged for a personal foul on the play. Kelly said he didn't know if Cowart would be able to snap against Air Force.

"We've stabilized it," Kelly said. "He's going to give it a shot. We'll see how it works out."